A MATTER of strides after crossing the finishing line second in the Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen, Duramente appeared to stumble and was quickly pulled-up by jockey Mirco Demuro. He was taken from the course in a horse ambulance and it was widely reported that he was found to be suffering from lameness in his left fore. Although resulting scans and x-rays have yet to be conclusive, connections were quick to rule him out of his intended tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second successive year.

However, three days later the news became even darker for Japan’s racing fans as it was announced the Duramente was to be immediately retried from racing and would take up stallion duties at Shadai Farm next year.

In June 2015 Duramente was reported to have suffered a training injury, resulting in distal fractures to both fore legs, which forced his season to end prematurely.

A winner of two classics as a three-year-old, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Duramente had been an intended runner in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) but was denied his attempt through injury. He would have potentially become just the eighth colt in Japanese racing history to win the coveted Triple Crown and the first since 2011, when dual Arc de Triomphe runner-up Orfevre achieved the feat.

Despite being on the side-lines for much of the 2015 season Duramente was voted the best three-year-old of his generation by Japanese racing journalists. Winning in a landslide result, accruing 285 out of a possible 291 votes.

It is common practice in Japan for elite racehorses to be expected to prove their ability well into their five-year-old season. Given this latest set-back, the next step in his career is the breeding shed, where he will undoubtedly attract top breeders from across Japan.

He is a regally bred son of two-time champion sire King Kamehameha, out of the ill-fated Sunday Silence mare, Admire Groove. She was champion older mare in Japan in 2004, and a dual Group 1 winner, and her first and second dams were also champion Japanese racemares. She unfortunately died in October of 2012 having earlier that year produced just her fifth foal, Duramente.

The 2016 Tokyo Yushun winner, Makahiki, currently remains the sole possibility for Japan to claim the coveted Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the first time.